The present invention relates to packaging materials and, more particularly, to packaging cushions. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to inflatable packaging cushions which may be used to package one or more objects in suspended positions within an outer container.
Protective packaging structures are often used to protect an article from physical shock during shipping and storage. For example, when shipping articles which may be relatively fragile, it is often desirable to package the article inside a box to protect the article from physical impact to the box which may occur during loading, transit and unloading. Aside from the shipping box itself, some additional structures are ordinarily needed to prevent the article from being damaged by uncontrolled movement within the box. Such additional structures have included paper or plastic dunnage, molded plastic foams, cotton batting and foam-filled cushions, among others.
One useful form of packaging for especially fragile articles is referred to as suspension packaging, examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,743 to Lewis H. Ridgeway and U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,701 to Devin C. Ridgeway. In suspension packaging, the article is suspended between two confronting sheets of plastic film. The sheets are usually attached to frames formed from a rigid material and sized to fit securely within a selected size box, two frames being used for each box. Each frame includes side and end legs which may be folded away from the film so as to space the film from the top and bottom of the box. The fact that the article is not in contact with any substantially rigid surfaces protects it from physical shock. However, the fact that the frame is formed from a different material than the sheets of plastic complicates the manufacturing process. Moreover, there is a possibility for the plastic sheet to become detached from the frame under extreme conditions. Also, the need to assemble the frames before they are inserted into an outer box adds to packaging time and expense.
In seeking better protective packaging materials, various of air inflatable cushions have been suggested. Examples of inflatable cushions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,157 to Pozzo. In one embodiment disclosed therein, a cushion having a single chamber is designed to provide protection on four sides of a box. In another embodiment, the inflatable chamber extends around the entirety of the article.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,060 to Forti et al. discloses an inflatable packaging insert that is positioned around the sides of an article placed in a closed box. This inflatable packaging insert provides articulated panels having opposed edge portions for forming corners. According to one embodiment, a pair of opposed V-shaped or triangular inserts forming a gusset allow the inflatable packaging insert, when inflated, to securely engage the corners of the article. A single valve is used to inflate each of the chambers encircling the article.
In yet another example of inflatable packaging material, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,835 to Pivert et al. discloses an inflatable package cushioning system which utilizes two separate inflatable cushions to protect all six sides of a box or article. Each of the cushions has articulated sides which fold to protect three sides of the article. U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,743 to Presnick discloses inflatable insulation for packaging including an inflatable cushion having a single inflation valve and articulated portions capable of protecting all six sides of a rectangular box. In addition, there are disclosed horizontal folding straps placed across at least one and advantageously two vertical lines of articulation of the liner.
All of the inflatable cushioning structures described above require some degree of assembly to package an article in an outer container, which assembly is often cumbersome and time consuming. Furthermore, all of the foregoing structures rely solely upon compression of the cushion in order to support the packaged article and prevent it from being damaged. Overcompression of the cushion during handling of the package may cause the cushion to burst, thereby destroying its protective properties.
In view of the drawbacks in the protective packaging of the prior art, there exists a need for improved packaging structures which are easy to manufacture and use, which are highly reliable, and which provide a high degree of support and protection to an article during shipping.
The present invention addresses these needs.
One aspect of the present invention provides a packaging cushion for supporting at least one article. The packaging cushion includes a central portion extending generally in a horizontal plane and having an upwardly facing surface adapted to support the article. A plurality of resilient cushioning members each has one edge connected to the central portion and a free edge spaced from the central portion. Each cushioning member projects away from the central portion at an oblique angle, the oblique angles each having a first component extending parallel to the horizontal plane and a second component projecting downwardly from the horizontal plane. In preferred embodiments, the first and second components of the oblique angles may be about equal. Each of the cushioning members preferably is separated from an adjacent cushioning member by a gap so that it is movable away from the adjacent cushioning member. The gaps may extend inwardly from the free edges of the cushioning members toward the central portion of the cushion.
Each cushioning member may include a hollow chamber containing a filler medium, preferably air. The hollow chamber in each cushioning member may be in flow communication with the hollow chamber in adjacent cushioning members. An access port may be provided for supplying the filler medium to the hollow chamber in each one of the cushioning members.
The central portion of the cushion may include at least one web of material interconnecting the cushioning members and adapted to support the article. The web of material may include a plurality of apertures formed therein or, alternatively, may include at least one slit dividing the web into first and second portions adapted to receive the article therebetween.
In preferred embodiments, the free edge of at least one of the cushioning members may have end portions spaced from the central portion of the cushion by a first distance and an intermediate portion between the end portions spaced from the central portion by a distance less than the first distance. In highly preferred embodiments, the intermediate portion may define a smooth arch.
In a variant of this aspect of the invention, the cushioning members may be inflatable, and may have a noninflated condition and an inflated condition. In the inflated condition, the cushioning members project away from the central portion at an oblique angle having a first component extending parallel to the horizontal plane and a second component projecting downwardly from the horizontal plane.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a packaging assembly. The packaging assembly includes a container having a sidewall, a bottom panel connected to the sidewall along a bottom edge, and a top panel connected to the sidewall along a top edge. A packaging cushion having any of the structural features described above may be disposed in the container so as create to a void space between the central portion of the cushion and the bottom panel of the container. At least one article may be supported on the central portion of the cushion, whereby the article will be spaced from the bottom panel of the container.
In preferred embodiments hereof, the oblique angles formed by some of the cushioning members may include a horizontal component extending in the length direction of the container, and the oblique angles formed by other cushioning members may include a horizontal component extending in the width direction of the container. In other preferred embodiments, the cushion may include a pair of cushioning members each projecting away from the central portion toward the side panels of the container and another pair of cushioning members each projecting away from the central portion toward the end panels of the container.
Yet a further aspect of the present invention provides a packaging assembly including a container have a sidewall, a bottom panel connected to the sidewall along a bottom edge and a top panel connected to the sidewall along a top edge. A first cushion is disposed in the container so that its cushioning members project from a central portion thereof at oblique angles having a first component extending parallel to a horizontal plane and a second component projecting downwardly from the horizontal plane so as to create a void space between the central portion of the cushion and the bottom panel of the container. A second cushion is disposed in the container so that its cushioning members project from the central portion thereof at oblique angles having a first component extending generally parallel to the horizontal plane and a second component projecting upwardly from the horizontal plane so as to create a void space between the central portion and the top panel of the container. At least one article is positioned between the central portions of the first and second cushions so that the article is spaced from the top and bottom panels of the container.
In other preferred embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the free edge of each of the cushioning members in the first cushion may have end portions spaced from the central portion thereof by selected distances and an intermediate portion between the end portions spaced from the central portion thereof by a distance less than the selected distances. The cushioning members in the second cushion desirably are similarly structured. In highly preferred embodiments, the intermediate portions in both the first and second cushions define smooth arches.
A still further aspect of the present invention provides a packaging assembly including a container having a sidewall, a bottom panel connected to the sidewall along a bottom edge, and a top panel connected to the sidewall along a top edge. The packaging assembly further includes a series of cushions arranged one on top of another to form a stack in the container. Each cushion in the stack is oriented so that its cushioning members project at oblique angles to the central portion of the cushion, the oblique angles each having a first component extending parallel to a horizontal plane and a second component projecting downwardly from the horizontal plane, thereby creating a void space between a bottommost cushion in the stack and the bottom panel of the container. At least one article is supported on the central portion of at least one of the cushions in the stack, and a final cushion is assembled in the container on top of the stack. The final cushion is oriented so that its cushioning members project at angles which are oblique to the central portion of the cushion and which have a first component extending parallel to the horizontal plane and a second component projecting upwardly from the horizontal plane so as to create a void space between the final cushion and the top panel of the container. In embodiments of this packaging assembly, an article may be supported on the central portion of each of the cushions in the series of cushions.
Still another aspect of the present invention provides a packaging assembly including a container having a sidewall, a top panel, a bottom panel and at least one side panel. An article is disposed in the container, and at least one cushion is positioned between the article and the container for supporting the article in a suspended position in the container. At least a first portion of the cushion defines at least a first resilient arch between the article and one of the panels of the container, the arch including a pair of ends contacting the panel at spaced locations and an intermediate portion spaced from the panel. A second portion of the cushion may define at least a second resilient arch between the article and another panel of the container, the second arch including a pair of ends contacting the other panel at spaced locations and an intermediate portion spaced from the other panel. In highly preferred embodiments hereof, the cushion may define at least one resilient arch between the article and each side panel of the container.
In other preferred embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the cushion may include a central portion intermediate the first and second portions. In these embodiments, the first portion, second portion and central portion together may define a resilient arch between the article and the bottom panel of the container with the first and second portions of the cushion contacting the bottom panel at spaced locations and the central portion being spaced from the bottom panel. In still more preferred embodiments, the cushion may define a pair of resilient bottom arches between the article and the bottom panel of the container, one bottom arch having an axis of curvature extending in the length direction of the container, and the other bottom arch having an axis of curvature extending in the width direction of the container.
The packaging assembly also may include another cushion positioned between the article and the container. The other cushion preferably defines at least one resilient arch between the article and each side panel of the container. The other cushion also may define one, and preferably two, resilient top arches between the article and the top panel of the container. Where two top arches are defined, one may have an axis of curvature extending in the length direction of the container, and the other may have an axis of curvature extending in the width direction of the container. In highly preferred embodiments hereof, the two cushions together define another resilient arch between the article and each of the side panels of the container. These last resilient arches have axes of curvature extending in either the length or the width direction of the container.